Automatic gas cut-off.



wn. 663,661. I

` J. C. MGKALLIP. AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-UFF.

(Application led Aug. 3. 1900. )1

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UNITED STATES JOHN C. MCKALLIP, OF ATHENS, OHI.

AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-IOFF.

srEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Lettere Patent No. 663,661, dated December 1i, 19de. Ap'pnemen flied lingua s, 1900". serai Ne. 25,805. (No model.;

To all whom t may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN C. MCKALLIP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gas Cut-Offs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. l

This invention relates to improvements in automatic gas cut-offs of the character designed to close automatically when the fiow of gas is arrested or materially reduced by 'reason of breakage or leakage in the mains and remain closed until manually opened, so as ito prevent the inlet of gas through open burners into the rooms or apartments of a house.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective valve of this character in which the parts are readily accessible and removable for cleaning or repairs and are` constructed and arranged in a novel manner to secure the best results. t

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a View in side elevation of my improved automatic gas cut-off. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken on line Y Y of Fig. 2. spective view of the valve parts detached. Fig. 6 is a similar view ofthe device for setting the valve.

1 in the drawings represents the valve-casing, which has an enlarged or swelled central portion 2, which serves as the housing for the valve mechanism, and threaded inlet and discharge passages or ends and 4, which are designedY for application to the proximal ends of the house service-pipe adjacent to the meter or at any other desired point where the valve is to be applied. These ends are separated by a partition 5 of ordinary form, which also serves to divide the central portion of the casing into upper and lower chambers or compartments 6 and 7. This partition is apertnred in its horizontal portion to receive a screw-threaded cup 8, which cup is Fig. 5 is a perprovided in its bottom with a guide-opening 9 and at its upper edge with an outwardlyprojecting flange 10, which rests upon the upper surface of said partition, the inner face of the fiange, constituting the rim edge of the cup, being beveled, as at 11, to form a seat for a vertically-moving valve 12. This valve controls the passage of gas through the casing and is mounted centrally upon a stein 13, slidable vertically in the guide-opening 9 and a corresponding opening 14 in a guide-plate l5, located above the cup.

The guide-plate 15 is formed integrally with an L.shaped bracket 16, which has its lower horizontalv arm secured to an extension 17 of the rim-ange l0 of the cup 8, whereby said cup, the valve, guide-plate, and cooperating parts are adapted to be simultaneously de tached for cleaning, repairs, or for other purposes. The upper portion of the valve-stem 13 is thicker than its lower portion and eX- tends upwardly through an opening 18 in a tilting gripping device consisting of a plate or bar 19, mounted centrallyupon a fulcrumpost or projection 20 on the guide-plate 15, the said opening 18 being formed in the forward end'of said gripping device. This opening is made somewhat larger than the valvestem, so as to 'allow the same to move freely therethrough in moving upwardly and to allow opposite portions of the walls thereof to bear frictonally against the stein and prevent the valve from moving downward. The forward end of the gripping plate or bar 19 preferably preponderates in weight, so as .to normally causethebarto assumeadownwardly-inclined position. When the valve is moved upward from its seat, the apertured forward end ofthe gripping device assumes a horizontal position under pressure, and thereby the valve-stem is allowed to have free movement through the opening 14. When the pressure is removed, however, the weight of the front end of the gripping device, as well as the weight of the valve, causes said front end of the gripping device to tilt down and assume an inclined position, whereby the front and rear sides of the wall of the opening 14 are brought to bear frictionally against the valve-stem, and by this means the valve is held open to allow gas to pass through the casing. It will be observed from the foregoing that the valve IOO mechanism is located mainly in the. chamber or compartment 6 and may be removed by simply unscrewing the cup 8.

The upper portion of the valve-casing is open and providedwith a cylindrical eXtension a, which cooperates with a cap 21 and forms therewith a dome or chamber 22. The bottom of this chamber consists of a head or partition 23, clamped between bolting-fianges on the extension and cap or otherwise suitably secured to the casing and having a central opening 24 and an annular depressed portion 25, formingawell or chamber for the reception of a sealing medium, such as mercury. A bell 26 is arranged to move between the said partition 23 and cap 21, and its pendent flange dips down into the said sealingchamber 25 to prevent the escape of gas in the ordinary manner. To the body or top plate of the bell 26 is threaded or otherwise secured an operating-stem 27, the lower end of which is arranged to'slide in the central opening 24 in the partition 23 and contact with the rear end of the grippingebar 19 to force said bar to a horizontal position, and thereby release the valve when the pressure of the gas falls below a'predetermined point and the bell descends. The upper end of the stem 27 projects to the exterior through an opening 2d in the cap 2l and has secured thereto a nut 29 or any other suitable form of projection serving as a finger-piece, whereby the gripping! bar may be manually operated, and as a stop to hold the stem and bell in place when the cap is removed.

In the operation of the device the valve 12 is normally held open in elevated position by the gripping-bar 19, which is tilted, with its front end depressed and its rear end elevated and located immediately beneath the stem 27. When the valve is thus held open, the pressure of the gas passing through the casing will force the bell 26 upward and hold the lower end of the stem 27 above the said rearv end of the bar 19; but when the flow of the gas through the casing is arrested by reason of breakage or leakage in the mains, the bell, being no longer supported, will drop down, thereby causing the lower end of the stem 27 to contact with the rear end of the bar 19 and force said bar to a horizontal position. The opening 18 in the bar will thus be restored to a vertical posit-ion, and the stem 13 being no longer frictionally gripped the valve 12 will drop down upon its seat 11 and close the port, so as to prevent any passage of gas into the service-pipe. By this means the flow of gas into, the service-pipe will be arrested until the valve is again lifted off its seat and held open by the friction-bar, so that the inlet of gas through open burners into the rooms or apartments of the house when the flow of gas from the main into the service-pipe is resumed will be prevented and all liability of explosions and danger of asphyxiating the occupants of the house entirely obviated, as the resumpeeaee t-ion of the flow of the gas Will have no effect upon the opening of the valve.

The valve is adapted to be opened from the exterior, through the medium of a shaft or spindle 30, journaled in the side wall of the casing and carrying at its outer end a handwheel or other suitable operating device 31. The inner end vof this shaft .or spindle projects into the chamber or compartment 7 and carries an arm 32, that is adapted to be elevated by turning the shaft to cause it to contact with the lower end of the stem 13 and force said stem and the valve upward. A coiled' spring 33, secured at its opposite ends to the arm 32 and wall of the casing, serves to retract the shaft and arm Aand hold the lsame in their normal position, so as to preon the flow of gas through the medium of the l hand-wheel and its connections.

A flexible diaphragm of ordinary construction may be substituted for the bell herein shown and'other changes in the form, construction, and arrangements of the partsmade within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In an automatic iiuidvcut-off, a casing, a valve-seat located wholly within the casing and removable through a cap-covered open` ing in the side thereof, a valve-support attached to and movable with the valve-seat, a stemmed valve guided in its movements by having its stem acting jointly with the valveseat and valve-support, and a gripper fulcrumed to the valve-support and adapted to hold the valve open at any point, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic fluid cut-off, a partitioned casin g having a cap-covered side opening, a valve-seat removable through the said cap-covered opening, a bracket attached to the valve-seat, a stemmed valve directed in its movements by having its stem working in openings formed in portions ofthe valve-seat and bracket, a gripper fulcrumed uponsaid bracket and adapted to hold the valve open at any distance, a manually-operated device for unseating the valve, and a Huid-pressurecontrolled device adapted to release the valve, substantially as described.

3. In a valve of the character described, the combination of a casing having a partition provided with an opening, a cup fitted in said opening and forming a valve-seat and provided in its bottom with an aperture, a

IOO

IIO

bracketA attached to the cup and having an device adapted to engage the gripping device 1o overhanging(` portion provided with a correand effect the release of the catch, substansponding aperture, a valve movable between tially as described.

the cup and overhanging portion of the `In testimony whereof I affix my signature bracket land having upper and lower stem in presence of two Witnesses.

portions slidablein said apertures, a gripping JOHN C. MCKALLIP. [L S.] device fulcrumed to the bracket and adapted Witnesses:

to engage the upper stem portion to hold the W. E. PETERS,

valve open, and a liuid-pressnre-controlled H. E. DIOKASON. 

